This invention relates to an apparatus for continuously carrying out a cloth material treating process such as dyeing, etc. to obtain continuously and economically an excellently dyed material having an excellent feel by utilizing the advantageous features of high pressure steaming in combination with a liquid flowing operation.
The conventional methods for dyeing, for example, a long cloth material, are roughly divided into two types. One is a continuous dyeing method in which a cloth material to be treated is continuously allowed to pass through the inside of a steamer drum body which is capable of keeping high humid heat therein. The other is a batch dyeing process in which a cloth material of a given length is placed inside a steamer drum body which can be made to have high humid heat and the cloth material is subjected to hygro-thermic treatment for a preset period of time there. In the continuous dyeing method, although such a continuous dyeing process is possible thereby, the feel of the cloth material is impaired by the tension of the cloth while it is being guided within the steamer drum body through many guide rolls which are arranged therein to guide the cloth material for the hygro-thermic treatment and then to the outside of the steamer drum body. In the case of a thin or knit cloth material, such tension particularly tends to cause wrinkles or stitch deformation. In the batch dyeing method, a length of a cloth material corresponding to several rolls of cloth is placed in a steamer drum body for each batch process. About 7 tons of water in which a dye and a promoter are mixed is put in the steamer drum. Then, temperature inside the steamer drum body is raised from normal temperature up to a high temperature of about 130.degree. C. and dyeing is effected through a liquid flowing process for a period of time of about two to three hours. After that, the steamer drum body is opened to replace the cloth material and the treating liquid and then the temperature inside the steamer drum body is again raised to repeat the same dyeing process. The batch method provides a dyed cloth material having a good feel because no tension is caused during the process. However, the heat energy, the dye solution and the promoter are wasted in large quantities every time the steamer drum body is opened. Besides, in accordance with this batch dyeing method, a long period of time is required before completion of dyeing and it takes two or three hours for dyeing several rolls of the cloth material. Further, the result of dyeing one batch tends to vary from that of another batch.